ICEMAN the movie!

I couldn’t be happier. My true-crime book THE ICEMAN is going to be a movie. Actor Michael Shannon (“Boardwalk Empire”) will play Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski. Also on board are James Franco as the Iceman’s mentor “Mr. Softee” and Benicio Del Toro as mobster Roy DeMeo. You can read more about it here. http://www.deadline.com/2011/01/iceman-draws-killer-cast/#more-98662

Now authors are notorious for carping about Hollywood wrecking their good work. Sure, it happens, but filmmakers for the most part aren’t stupid. There are usually good reasons for making changes. When my novel BAD APPLE was made for TV a few years ago, the final chase scene had to be rewritten. In the book it took place on the night before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade when the floats are moved from NJ to Manhattan and filming that would have been a budget-buster. Still, I was happy with the result, and it was a real kick to see my odd-couple FBI agents Tozzi and Gibbons come to life through Chris Noth (who also produced) and Colm Meaney. Not to mention terrific performances from Mercedes Ruehl, Elliot Gould, Robert Patrick, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jim Gaffigan, and James Villemaire.

No doubt ICEMAN the film will not be a chapter-and-verse replica of the book, but if it captures the spirit of the book, I will be absolutely delighted. And with that cast, how can it not succeed?